Dental crown-heater.



No. 888,071. PATENTED MAY 19, 1908.

E. W. DUDEZ.

DENTAL GROWN HEATER.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 8,1907- fE- F2 TTORNEY.

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EDWARD W. DODEZ, OF FORT WAYNE, INDIANA.

DENTAL CROWN-HEATER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 19, 1908.

Application filed July 8, 1907. Serial No. 382,795.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, EDWARD W. Donnz, a citizen of the United States,residing at Fort Wayne, in the county of Allen and State of Indiana,have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Crown-Heaters, ofwhich the following is a specification.

This invention relates to apparatus by which tooth crowns, bridges,inlays, or similar dental structures, may be heated for the purposes ofproperly placing the same on the teeth roots, or for removing the samefrom the teeth roots after having been placed thereon.

In practice the tooth root is suitably prepared for the particularstructure designed to be placed on it, such as, for example, a goldcrown. In order that the crown may be held tight in place it iscustomary to use a plastic, adhesive medium such as various forms ofcement, one such cement being now known to the trade as onilite. henthis cement hardens or sets the crown is, of course, fixed in theposition in which it is at the time of that hardening or setting of thecement. It is often the case that this cement sets before the crown isin its proper position on the root. It then becomes necessary to softenor render plastic the cement so that the crown may be properly adjustedand pressed on the root. It is also often desirable to remove a crown orother dental structure from a tooth which has been theretofore cementedthereon, and to accomplish that it is also necessary to soften theadhesive medium so that the crown may be freed from its position on theroot.

It is desirable in apparatus of this class that the instrument shallenable the operator to apply a uniform heat to the crown and at the sametime enable him to use it for pressing the crown to its proper position,and the object of my invention is to provide apparatus which will veryeffectively furnish those desirable features.

My invention consists in the novel features of construction hereinafterset forth and shown in the drawings.

Referring to the drawings Figure 1 is a plan view of one embodiment ofmy invention; Fig. 2, a longitudinal elevation of the same, and Figs. 3,4, 5 and 6, modifications of the same.

Referring to Figs. 1 and 2, I provide a metallic body or bulb 2 with asuitable handle 3. I prefer to make the bulb of harddrawn copper, asthat metal is very quickly heated and rapidly gives of] its heat. Iprefer to give the body or bulb 2 the form of a cylinder in its lowerportion, at least, and in the bottom of which is fitted the handle 3.The upper face of the bulb is slightly rounded and is provided withlateral grooves 4. The purpose of these grooves is to enable theoperator to get the bulb as closely as possible in contact with thecrown to be heated, the grooves being adapted to engage the rough orgrinding surface of the crown, thus permitting the indented portions ofthat surface on crowns on the molar teeth to receive the heat as well asthe other portions. The up per face of the bulb, in other words, is provided with a configuration similar to that of the molar teeth of thehuman mouth.

In practice, after heating this copper bulb to the desired temperature,the upper face is brought into contact with the rough or grindingsurface of the crown, the grooves of the bulb engaging the unevenportions of the crown; the latter is heated thereby, the adhesive mediumsoftens and the crown may then be easily withdrawn from the tooth root,or pressed with the assistance of the bulb into its proper position onthe tooth root, in case the cement has hardened before the crown is inits proper place on that root.

It is apparent that numerous modifications of the bulb will be possible.In Figs. 3 and 4 I show one such modification, in which I have formedthe bulb so as to be used in heating a crown on a bicuspid or premolartooth. The bulb in this case is given the configuration of the cusp ofsuch a crowntapered toward the top (or cone shaped), with two oppositesides 5 and 6 flattened. This construction permits the peak of the bulbto enter between the cusps of the crown thereby heating that portion ofthe same in such manner that the crown may easily be removed or pressedinto proper position.

Another modification is shown in Fig. 5, in which I provide a bulb witha configuration such that it will fit over crowns placed on the incisoror canine teeth. The bulb in this case is provided with a groove 7, saidgroove being large enough to permit the bulb to engage both sides of thecrown in order that Vided with a configuration adapted to engage thelatter shall be heated uniformly on both acorresponding configuration ona tooth its front and back sides. crown for the uses and purposesdescribed.

In each case described the bulb is pro- In witness whereof I hereuntosubscribe 5 vided with a heating surface whose configmy name in thepresence of two witnesses.

uration is similar to and adapted to en 'a e the surface of the crown tobe heated. D C l EDNARD DODEZ' WVhat Iclairn is: Witnesses:

ISAAC N. TAYLOR, 4 ELWIN M. I-IULsE.

In a dental crown heater a metallic bulb 10 having in its upper portiona surface pro-

